


It Won't Change Immediately

by Ceilingtile



Category: The Breakfast Club (1985)
Genre: Another Monday After Fic, F/M, Fluff, Multi, this is a test for characterization for another work im writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceilingtile/pseuds/Ceilingtile
Summary: Claire Standish had always been sensitive to those around her, to an extent. That could be the reason she's fearing the Monday after detention. After all, will she be able to keep her word, and stick with the Breakfast Club?
Relationships: Andrew Clark/Allison Reynolds, John Bender/Claire Standish
Kudos: 53





	It Won't Change Immediately

She was quick to pick up on the small things- the way someone sat down a bag or set out plates, the way they would glare or huff. One could say she was sensitive to them. Sure, sometimes they would be false signals, or it wouldn’t be directed at her, but more often than not she was right. These little things, in her home at least, would slowly build over hours or days and lead to shouting and slamming doors- lead to the familiar sound of a car starting and leaving in the middle of the night. Her mother would leave for a hotel, an ‘emergency’, leaving her children behind with their angry father, or he would leave the kids with an angry mother to go to ‘work’. 

These excuses stopped working early on. Claire wished that she could still believe that her parents were just busy people. She couldn’t remember it being this bad when she was younger, they were growing more distant each passing day. What would it mean for her if her parents got divorced? Admittedly, she thought about it more often these days. Perhaps that was the reason she wasn’t prepared when John asked her who she preferred. Claire should have had it figured out, but she was avoiding it. 

Claire was so scared of change. The thought of being left behind, of everyone becoming foreign to her, left her feeling so alone. If she could, she would want to freeze everyone just as they are now. They could play out the same scenarios over and over and over. At least, with time, she would grow used to these repetitive arguments and scenarios. Claire would be able to keep the people she met that Saturday at detention, and she wouldn’t even have to change the parts about her she knew were shameful. If she could freeze them, keep them thinking that she was going to change, then she wouldn’t have to go out of her comfort zone. 

It was a nice thought, stopping time that Saturday, at least at first. Claire had no idea how fond she would become of the others in such a short time. She felt as though she almost knew them better than the people she has spent the last three years hanging with. It was easy to imagine spending time with them, rather than her usual crowd. Movie night with Allison- making fun of the stupid plots and talking about the little details other people would miss. Studying with Brian, teasing him until he laughed and helped her with chemistry. Reminding him to care for himself. They would all get together and cheer for Andrew, being there to help him have a good time, rather than just do it for his father. Caring for John, taking him to meet her parents, comforting him, and receiving comfort in return… 

Back to reality- If Claire did what she wanted, then the people she knew before Saturday would drop her. It would be scandalous, and afterward, they wouldn’t bat an eye at her, unless they were making fun of her. Why did she have to be so weak? Why did she have to surround herself with people who were largely superficial in their friendships? By giving her earring to John, and sharing a few of her innermost thoughts to them in detention, she hoped that it was enough to hold her accountable. They would look after her, in the aftermath of it all, and if she wasn’t doing what she said she was, they would help her. 

That Sunday, she spent a lot of time thinking about what to do Monday. Was she just supposed to walk up to them? Or would they call her over themselves? Her parents, individually, came to check on their normally vivacious daughter. They had ulterior motives, sure, but at this point, she was happy that they paid attention to her. When she said her parents used her to get back at each other, Claire had a very active role in that. Perhaps it was shameful, that she played a semi-active role in the deterioration of their sham of a marriage. Then again, it was their fault that they didn’t marry for love in the first place. It was their fault they let their problems affect their kids. Before she went to bed, she felt the hole where her diamond earring was, before putting in a simple stud, to keep it open. 

Claire woke up before her alarm, but when she looked out the window her father was already gone. She must’ve slept through that fallout, or maybe he had real work to attend to. Thankfully, her dear mother was more than eager to take her to school, to ‘fill in where her father failed’. Her mother’s words, not hers. Her mother’s painted nails gripped into the steering wheel, she was agitated but was holding back whatever thoughts were on the tip of her tongue, just behind the false grin. Claire didn’t want to press it, she needed a ride home. 

Smoothing out her plain skirt, she said goodbye to her mother. 

“Of course dear! I’ll be waiting for you after school!” The car peeled away. 

Claire walked up to the familiar large doors of her school.  _ It wasn’t too late. Just walk up to your usual crowd. They won’t say anything to you. You can put Saturday behind you.  _ She stopped, interrupting the flow of students into the building. What was wrong with her? 

“Claire?” 

She lifted her head to see her usual friends calling her over. Smiling, she walked over to them while pushing aside her thoughts. There was nothing saying that she couldn’t hang out with both the ‘Breakfast Club’ and the others. John may have something to say about it, but if his last look at her was anything to go by, he did care about her. 

Andrew was the first that she ran into. 

“Andrew!” She called in the hallway, motioning for him to come over. He gave her a wide grin and waved goodbye to his friends. She was glad that it was Andrew she ran into first. As terrible as it sounded in her head, Andrew was probably the safest for her reputation to talk to. Small steps, she reminded herself.

“Have you seen anyone else? It’s almost lunchtime,” Claire continued. “I wanted to see everyone today.”

“You did?” He asked, quirking his brow.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She frowned, crossing her arms. 

“It’s nothing,” Andrew swore, “I just wasn’t expecting you to be the most enthusiastic about this.” He stopped to look around, “I saw Allison before school today. She said she doesn’t feel like putting herself out there just yet. Whatever that means.” 

“She’s shy,” Claire said, turning her frown into a soft smile. 

“I’m meeting her out by the bleachers for lunch. If you can find the others, feel free to invite them,” Andrew continued, “But I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“How are you so confident about this?”

This stopped her for a second. How did she feel so confident about this, so comfortable in what she was saying? If she had run into Brian, or John, or Allison first, how would she have reacted? “I don’t know. You?”

“I’m not,” Andrew admitted, “I know that they won’t like Allison. Not at first. But I think what really matters is that I like her, ya know?” 

“That’s very sweet,” Claire said, “I’ll see you at lunch.” 

The talk with Andrew left her with hope. He was willing to put in the work, to stay connected to the people who bared their hearts in detention. It was surprising that Allison was close by, though it should have been obvious that she would be. Just around the corner, they almost collided. 

“So sorry!” Claire panicked, helping Allison up. 

“I shouldn’t have been standing there,” Allison mumbled, brushing off her long skirt and adjusting the grip on her bag. 

Claire rested her hand on Allison’s shoulder, “Are you ok?”

Allison looked confused. 

“I didn’t notice you around the corner,” Claire continued. Whether she meant to or not, she felt like she could spill all her thoughts to Allison without judgment. She did consider them bonded, especially after Allison trusted her enough for a makeover. 

Allison shrugged, “Shouldn’t you be in class?” 

Looking up at the clock, Claire realized that she had only a minute or two before it started. While she wanted to chat longer, she didn’t have many tardies left. “I’ll talk to you later! You should go to class too.” 

Allison gave her a half-smile, one that suggested she would think about it. Close enough. 

What surprised her is that she noticed Brian immediately. He was sitting towards the front, and she saw her friends in the back. It was time for Claire to make her first real choice. If this backfired, she could tell her friends she needed homework help, right?

“Does anyone sit here normally?” She asked Brian, who jumped in shock. 

“N-No!” He said, loudly. 

Laughing, she set her bag down and slid into the chair. She forgot her normal notebook but thankfully had loose paper. 

“Do you have a pencil?” 

Brian looked at her like she had a third head.

“Is there something on my face?” She brushed at her lips, softly enough to not disturb her lipgloss too badly. 

“I’m sorry,” Brian said, “I’m just a little surprised, is all.” He handed her a spare pencil. 

“Surprised?” She feigned innocence. Of course, he would be, but it was nice to get as much out of him as she could. Besides, it was easy to mess with him, and she meant it in a friendly way. 

“Not-Not in a bad way,” Brain explained, “I just didn’t expect to have you sit with me today, is all.” 

“I wanted to switch it up,” Claire said, “And I wanted to invite you to the bleachers today for lunch if you can. Andrew and Allison will be there.”

Brain smiled, his face flushed with joy. She was glad to see him smile. Something told her that they would become very good friends if she could continue this. Of course, it was hard to ignore the stares she could feel bore into her back. 

Turning, she smiled and waved at her friends. They waved back, but with less enthusiasm. She would have to explain to them eventually, that she made some new friends. She didn’t want to leave them behind, sure, but she recognized that she could be better with space. She may always be a princess, but she could be a kind one. 

“I don’t suppose you’ve seen John around?” Claire asked, turning her eyes back to Brian. She was glad that the teacher was late, or she wouldn’t have had the time to chat. 

Brian nodded, “In shop. Though he didn’t really say anything.” He seemed disappointed, maybe sad? 

“Oh, I see,” Claire said, “He probably just has something on his mind. I’ll talk to him if I see him.” Brian could only shrug she could tell how much John’s apparent behavior affected him. 

That was as much conversation she could get before the teacher walked in, quickly apologizing for the delay. 

“What’s going on with you, Claire?” She was stopped by her friends on her way to the field. 

“I’ve just been a little busy today. I won’t be able to join you guys for lunch,” Claire quickly said, “Are we still on for this weekend?” 

“Why can’t you join us? And what was up in class?” Another friend continued. “Did you need homework help?” 

“Well-” Claire started but was distracted by a familiar red black coat. John was watching her. What did he want? Was he expecting her to do something? That had to have been it. He was waiting for her to say something, to discard Brian. It hurt, admittedly, that he didn’t trust her. Though, she didn’t even trust herself…

“What are you looking at? Him?” 

“Sorry, girls. And Brian’s my friend.” 

“Brian? Is that who you were sitting with? You need to pull it together before this weekend. You’ll reflect poorly on the rest of us.” 

Claire didn’t know what to say. That was exactly what her parents told her, both in public and in private. She needed to behave, or she would be disrespectful. It felt like she was being cornered- her heart was starting to race. She could only hear her heartbeat in her ears. Claire could feel her cheeks begin to flush. Why did she have to be so sensitive?

“You can talk to us when you’ve figured this out.” 

“You know, Cherry, you could find better people than that,” John said as he sauntered towards her. There was something about the bite in his tone that grounded her. 

“Better people?” Claire asked, “What about you? I heard that you practically ignored Brian today!”

John huffed and turned his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. “And who told you that?”

“Brian did, John. What’s your deal today?” Not even a minute into their conversation and he was already getting on her nerves. While she did feel a pull towards him, he was making this difficult on purpose. It was like he was testing her, testing them. 

That’s it!

“You think you can step all over me?” Claire asked, “You think you can scare me away with this? It didn’t work Saturday, and it won’t work now. You need to trust us.” She ended her sentence softly, reaching for his hand. 

He pulled back but didn’t shake off her grip when she grabbed onto his glove. He looked down at her with heavy eyes. It was obvious that there were lots of emotions going through him. She felt the turmoil that he carried in him. 

Her eyes were drawn to the familiar glint of her earring. He was wearing it. 

“I’m glad you kept it.” 

“What? Oh.” He reached up to grab at it, but Claire just grabbed his arm. 

“I’m glad,” Claire admitted, “I’ve had a hard time with this. Is that what you wanted to hear?” 

He shuffled, obviously feeling somewhat guilty about his attitude. She let him go, only to stroke his cheek. 

“Everyone is meeting at the bleachers, you know.” 

“I figured. Allison’s idea?”

Claire nodded. “Did you want to walk together?” 

It was John’s turn to smile now, it wasn’t a wide grin like the one Andrew gave her or the shy smile that Brian gave. This one was unique to John Bender, a little bit of everything- a smirk, but obviously from a place of embarrassment rather than pride. He was giving himself to Claire, even if he couldn’t say it in words just yet. 

When the Breakfast Club was all together, Claire felt more complete than she had in a while. Of course, she was still going to struggle with balancing both parts of herself, staying true to her new best friends and those who were there before. Hopefully, with a little time, she wouldn’t have to split herself. 

“Thank you, for coming here,” Andrew said, whose arm was wrapped around Allison. 

“Of course,” Brian said, eagerly. 

John nodded, his familiar mask of coolness was back, but what mattered is that he was there. 

“We can’t meet here always,” Andrew continued, “I’m sure you all know that. I just wanted to make this place our place, during lunch. It’s not the library, but as long as one of us is here the rest will follow.” 

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the group, and Claire was surprised when John slung his own arm around her shoulders. 

This change wouldn’t be immediate, but this was a sign that things would get better. Even if they didn’t talk all the time, or didn’t see each other in the halls, they would always return to each other. Perhaps Claire’s wishes would come true after all, and that detention was just the start of the Breakfast Club. 


End file.
